Nottingham

Nottingham's population expanded between the last two censuses. At the same time there were changes in ethnicity, health and religion.

The population reached nearly 310,000

In the decade leading up to the most recent census, the population of Nottingham increased by 14%, from almost 267,000 to 306,000.

The addition of almost 39,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Nottingham was home to, on average, 29 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres). This made it the East Midlands' second-most densely-populated unitary authority.

Population density was higher than the average across the East Midlands

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across the East Midlands, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Nottingham

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Nottingham decreased by two years, from 32 to 30 years.

This area had the lowest average age in the East Midlands and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just under 18,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 70 and 79 years decreased by almost 2,000.

About 23% of people in Nottingham are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, East Midlands and Nottingham by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Nottingham

The number of people in Nottingham from the White ethnic groups increased from about 230,000 in 2001 to just under 220,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 85% to 72% of the local population.

The percentage decreased by more than the average across the East Midlands (from 93% to 89%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Nottingham from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from about 19,000 in 2001 to just over 40,000 in 2011 (from 7.1% to 13%). The number of residents from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from just under 12,000 to about 22,000 (from 4.3% to 7.3%).

Just over 20,000 people (3.1%) said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), up from about 8,400 in 2001 (6.6%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between ethnic groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the White ethnic groups in Nottingham decreased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, East Midlands and Nottingham by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Nottingham residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 11% to 6.5% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (80%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 65% in 2001. The percentage of Nottingham residents that described their health as fair decreased from 24% to 14%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the East Midlands (from 9.4% in 2001 to 5.7% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Nottingham decreased by 4.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Nottingham, the East Midlands and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Nottingham

The number of people in Nottingham that described themselves as Muslim increased from about 12,000 in 2001 to just under 27,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 4.6% to 8.8% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across the East Midlands (from 1.8% to 3.4%) and the average across England (from 3.2% to 5.2%).

The number of people in Nottingham that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 150,000 in 2001 to about 140,000 in 2011 (from 58% to 44%). The number of people who described themselves as having no religion increased from about 66,000 to just under 110,000 (from 25% to 35%).

About 23,000 people (9.8%) did not state their religion, down from about 26,000 in 2001 (7.6%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population who identified as Muslim in Nottingham increased by 4.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, East Midlands and Nottingham by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Nottingham stood out from other areas for single-person households

In Nottingham, the proportion came down from 38% in 2001 to 36% in 2011. During the same period, the regional proportion increased from 28% to 29%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Nottingham increased from 8.7% to 10%, while the percentage of households with a married couple decreased from 24% to 22%.

The percentage of households with only a single-person was higher than across the East Midlands

Percentage of households that that comprised only a single person across local authority areas in the East Midlands and the average across England, March 2011

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